The Western Conference's first-seeded Denver Nuggets and eighth-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves meet in the first round of the 2022 NBA playoffs. The two teams last met in the playoffs in the 2004 first round.
three rotation players from a 46-win playoff team for 30-year-old defensive stalwart Rudy Gobert. The 7-foot-1 rim protector was freshly removed from the latest in his string of playoff disappointments, each of which exposed the limits to his defensive impact.
In the absence of their 27-year-old former No. 1 overall draft pick. the Wolves forged an identity behind more recent No. 1 pick Anthony Edwards, who made his first All-Star appearance at age 21. Edwards, Gobert, veteran wing Kyle Anderson and rapidly improving 3-and-D forward Jaden McDaniels could anchor defenses that performed at a league-best level, even if the team's overall performance remained average.
Towns played brilliantly in victory against the New Orleans Pelicans in the regular-season finale, securing Minnesota two chances to emerge from the West play-in tournament. The win also came with controversy.during a timeout, exposing a chemistry failure, and McDaniels broke his hand right hand punching a wall in frustration over foul trouble. The Wolves suspended Gobert for the play-in opener, and a Towns-led contingent wilted down the stretch of a loss to LeBron James and company.
Minnesota can hang its hat on this stat: Without Towns or Conley ever in the lineup, the Wolves outscored Denver by two points in the 38 minutes Jokic and Murray shared the court against them this season.The Nuggets will play Jokic, Gordon, Caldwell-Pope Murray and either Porter or Brown for offensive and defensive purposes, respectively. Both groups have only played about 90 minutes together in the fourth quarter this season.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
ESPN Host Malika Andrews's Secret Weapon Is Her Memory — & Her Well-Stocked Snack DrawerIn this month's Why I Do It, we're speaking with Malika Andrews. She's an NBA reporter and the host of ESPN’s weekday NBA studio show, NBA Today, and also hosts Wednesday editions of ESPN’s NBA pregame show, NBA Countdown. Malika debuted as a sideline reporter during the unprecedented 2019-2020 NBA season, when she became one of the youngest sideline reporters ever for a Conference Finals telecast. In 2022, she became the first woman to host the NBA Draft — and she's not done yet. Here's why she does it.
Read more »
Final NBA play-in matchups: Bulls at Heat, Thunder at WolvesThe NBA’s play-in tournament wraps up Friday night with a pair of elimination games:
Read more »
Denver working to make several outdoor patio programs permanent for restaurants, barsThe City of Denver is using the success of the Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche to let bars and restaurants know about expanded patio permits and other programs. via RussellHaythorn
Read more »
NBA’s light punishment for Mavericks tanking hurts Knicks’ NBA draft chancesDallas sat several players in their penultimate game of the season in a blatant attempt to miss the play-in tournament and protect its 2023 first-round draft pick from conveying to the Knicks.
Read more »
No. 1 Nuggets to face No. 8 Timberwolves in first-round playoff seriesNuggets coach Michael Malone lamented the only downside of the No. 1 seed was that Denver wouldn’t know who it’d meet in the first round until late Friday night.
Read more »
Timberwolves vs. Thunder pick: NBA odds, prediction, best betsCan Minnesota right the ship in time to save its season and set up a first-round matchup with top-seeded Denver in the play-in game?
Read more »